September 7th
Trip days - September 7th - September 9th
I joined the Outdoor Vitals 100 mile challenge this year with the hope of hiking some areas that I have been always wanting to hike to. One of those areas would be a thru hike from Woodchuck Trailhead to Maxon Trailhead with stops at Woodchuck Lake, Halfmoon Lake, North Fork of the Kings River, Devils Punchbowl, Rae Lake and Post Corral Creek. I have not been to any of these lakes or areas in the John Muir Wilderness except for about first 5 miles of the Woodchuck trail and about 4 miles of the Maxon Trail. I have researched the trails and thought this route would give me the best view of this area in a short time. The OV 100 mile challenge got me to train for hiking long distances and I have kept up the workouts and it really made a difference in my hiking ability and I have been enjoying the hikes a lot more. If you are looking for motivation or a program to get you ready for hiking I would recommend going through challenge. Hopefully they will do it again in 2025.
Day 1 Woodchuck Trailhead to Halfmoon Lake - 15.42 miles, 4,134ft of Elevation Gain (tracked by my Garmin Instinct 2 Solar Tactical watch)
I started the trail a little up road from the trailhead where Clyde Packing heads out from to cut off a little elevation gain. The trail either had some recent blow down or had not been cleared yet as there were a lot of downed trees across the trail in the first few miles.
Tree across the Woodchuck trail.
Me at the wilderness boundary
Took my first break about 5 miles in on Woodchuck Creek. I made sure to refill my water and drink my fill. It was really warm until I got to Woodchuck lake so keeping hydrated was important. The fish were active at Woodchuck Creek and I got to enjoy them during my lunch.
Thimbleberry
Chuck Pass trail junction
Crown Pass trail junction - I will be going over Crown Pass but going to Woodchuck Lake first.
Woodchuck Lake - I took a break at the lake as I was another 5 miles in and was in need of some water. I filled up on water and had a snack. I really needed that break and the temperatures were finally going down now that I was close to 10,00 feet in elevation.
I really enjoyed this lake and would like to come back here to fish and explore.
Woodchuck Lake - I ran into another backpacker that was staying at the lake and fishing and said the fish were hitting on power bait and that they had caught two large rainbow trout's.
Looking back across Woodchuck Lake.
I lost the trail for a little bit at the back of lake and scared up a grouse. But I ended up finding it and getting back on track.
Crown Peak
Crown Pass trail junction.
Crown Lake
I took some time at this spot just before Crown Pass. I could see into Kings Canyon National Park, Kettle Dome, and parts of Blackcap basin. It was a great morale boost to get this view, plus knowing I wasn't too far away from my first day destination of Halfmoon Lake.
Kettle Dome with Kings Canyon National Park in the background.
Scepter Peak - It was getting late and my energy was getting low, but my destination was now in sight. I didn't take any photos the rest of the day after this as I was focused on getting to the lake and setting up camp. I did take a couple of videos before I ate dinner and as soon as I was done I went straight to bed. Couldn't wait to see the lake in the morning.
This first leg of the trip was really rewarding. I found out I could do 15 miles and 4000 feet of elevation gain in a day and I had a few places I really want to comeback to and explore. I had seen some of these places on line and in trail books, and now I am seeing them person and experiencing them. It made me happy to finally see them and for what lies ahead on the trail.
Next Up - The North Fork of the Kings River, Devils Punchbowl and Rae Lake.
People encountered - 1
Animals - 1 (grouse)
Lakes - 3 ( Crown lake from a distance)
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